The Coming Horse. 163 



were common in the days of Black Hawk in Vermont, or 

 such as those old Winthrop Messenger mares that Greneral 

 Knox found in Maine, or those Abdallah and Trustee, Mes- 

 senger and Mambrino mares that Young Morrill found at 

 Boston, or the Mambrino, Abdallah and pacing mares that 

 Golddust found in Kentucky, small, fast stallions would pro- 

 duce equally good and even better stock thau was and is 

 produced then and there. For I have no doubt but we 

 have stallions equal to any the world has ever produced of 

 that class. 



But will they ? or can they ? Does not small stock pre- 

 vail among us ? and is not the tendency of nearly all to 

 breed from what they have, especially if rendered unsala- 

 ble by hard work, accidents or strains ? 



Every one knows that his old mare, that has been so long 

 in the family and done such faithful service, is a little bet- 

 ter than his neighbor's. Of course, this is the ten- 

 dency, and this is the practice, to a great extent, and it is 

 .not so very destructive, after all, as we have sometimes 

 thought, if care is used not to breed mares having heredi- 

 tary ailments, j^rovirfe^ a judicious selection of stallions is 

 made ; for it is no doubt true that the close built, round 

 muscled, little Black Hawk or Morgan horses have very 

 many qualities that we cannot afford to lose, and we need 

 not lose them. 



In the last few years there has been a growing opinion 

 in the minds of most intelligent horse breeders of our land, 

 that the old theory of large female, small male, though 

 good, must give place in a measure to the absolute facts as 

 they arc developed from day to day and year to year : that 



